Yep, that's just what I was thinking.

Do you have a link to where you found that plug image? (just looking to see the tech specs on it)


I want to make sure it is rated for the same size wire as the stove cord. I just want to make sure you will physically have room to get that cord into that plug. I think it will be ok. The stove plug uses a heavier (6 or more likely 8 gage wire) and your machine likely uses 10 or maybe even 12 gage wire.


Jamie

I am just not positive how well that range cord is going to clamp into that plug without physically looking at one of them. Here is something I know will work.

Get the plug that fits in your range outlet, should be this one:

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?ac...80-SP-L&lpage=none

Then get the female plug that your machine plugs into.

Now you will have 2 plugs with no cord.

At lowes, or home depot, they will sell some extension cord wire by the foot, it is called SJOW (it could have a different name also as long as it is for cords) cord. It is round and has braided wired. You want one with 3 wires inside it. You can get 10 gage (even 12 would be find for 20A, but the cost difference for a short cord is nominal). 10 gage is larger than 10 and 8 gage is larger yet. I would just get 10 gage if that is available, as it is most likely to clamp down well in both plugs. Just need a couple feet, unless you need it longer for some reason. Bottom line if you go in there and ask for 10-2 gage SJOW (extension cord) with ground they should have it. Stranded would be best, but solid would be ok as long as it is rated for use as an extension cord. The cord will be round. If they try to sell you a flat piece of cord / wire, it is likely romex / NM and is totally wrong for this. Make sure what they sell you is not Romex cable, just make sure it is rated for use as an extension cord.

I hope this helps and wasn't too confusing.

Jamie

Thanks for all of the help Jamie!! I finally had time to build the cord earlier today, and so far it has been a success. I can't really run the machine yet because my FloJet hasn't arrived, but the power switch is working when it is plugged in.

Thanks for everyone who contributed to the thread!

Hello everyone,

Been following this thread since I may be in the same boat shortly. In an earlier post in this thread it was mentioned that you could add a fuse or breaker to the extension cable to provide the espresso machine the proper current protection but would add to the complexity the cable assembly. It appears its not needed since the original poster reported that his cable works without it. What I would like to know is what are the potential issues without the proper current protection and what it would take to build one into the cable? Are there special circuit breakers that are used when adding it to an extension cord or can the same one that goes into the panel be used?

Thank you for any input in advance.

I would just change the breaker at the box to a 20 amp. Make sure you get the right one for the panel. Or you could have a little sub panel with the 240 20 amp breaker(s). Plus some 120's . Plenty of juice coming off the lead.

Lockman wrote:I would just change the breaker at the box to a 20 amp.

I'm not an electrician, but this sounds like a really, really bad idea. If the current breaker is 15A, then the wire is very likely 14 gauge, not the 12 gauge necessary to carry the current that a 20A breaker would allow. I recommend hiring an electrician for peace of mind and avoiding the risk of a denied insurance claim in the event of a fire.

Sorry, I missed that detail between commercials of "24".

Lockman wrote:I would just change the breaker at the box to a 20 amp. Make sure you get the right one for the panel. Or you could have a little sub panel with the 240 20 amp breaker(s). Plus some 120's . Plenty of juice coming off the lead.

Yes, this is a much better idea than building a box or buying a cord with a 20A fuse in it. I'm not really sure it's all that necessary anyway; does any one worry about plugging a 8A espresso machine into a 15 or 20A outlet?

Ben Z. wrote:Yes, this is a much better idea than building a box or buying a cord with a 20A fuse in it. I'm not really sure it's all that necessary anyway; does any one worry about plugging a 8A espresso machine into a 15 or 20A outlet?

I think the point was to protect the machine by bringing it down from a 40 amp. Plus I think this machine would pull more than 8 amps. More like 15-20 amps (being commercial) Then if there was a problem the breaker might trip before some major damage was realized. I don't think you would have to worry about the wiring though. Probably wouldn't even get warm...
My reasoning for the sub panel would be so you could run the grinder and or other appliances off the same feed with their own breakers.